How to Start a Successful Vlog

Start with a good username. When you first create your YouTube account, you'll come across a little bar requesting your username. You may think nothing of it, go too quickly, or freak out, but either way, you need to fill this out. Make it memorable. Let's say you want to make your username EmmaSmith. week, shoot, with over a billion people on YouTube, that's taken. So you try EmmaSmith1. Darn, that's gone, too. So you get frustrated and make your username xXemmasmithaboo68958luvskittiezXx. Isn't that hard to read? It's also impossible to remember. You could have thought of something easier, like EmmaSmithLovesCats or EmmaSmithVlogging, or even just EmmaVlogs.

• Use capital letters when necessary. Capital letters separate words and make your username easy to read. Even if your username really was xXEmmaSmithaboo68958LuvsKittiesXx, those capitals added make it easier to read. That doesn't mean that username is still acceptable, though. Keep your username as short as possible.
• Cut down on Xs and numbers. They make your username harder to say and remember. You can cut down that long username to just EmmaSmithabooLuvsKitties, and now it's shorter and easier to remember.
• On that note of a short username, adding "aboo" to your name probably isn't necessary. EmmaSmithLuvsKitties is even better. You can also shorten names to another form - instead of kitties, you could use cats. So now we have EmmaSmithLuvsCats. One more thing, though - people are bound to spell out Loves rather than Luvs, so go ahead and try out EmmaSmithLovesCats. Now we have a perfect username that's short and easy to type and remember.

Your first video matters! Either get straight to the point and begin doing videos immediately, or start off with a video telling about what you'll be vlogging or a channel trailer. Make sure you have a tripod and a video recorder. Spend at least 100 dollars on a good video camera, with 720p quality or better to begin. If you have a newer iPhone, the video quality on those are great, too. Make sure you can see yourself somehow while recording, and look into the camera, not at yourself.

Use photos and music that you have permission to use. Free image websites and royalty-free music have things that you can use as long as you credit the website somewhere (for some, crediting is not necessary). Subtle background music adds a nice speak to your videos, and if you want to become a YouTube partner, you can't use stolen images or music.

Edit your videos! Editing your videos adds appeal to your videos, which you'll need to grab viewers' attention. You can start off with Windows Movie Maker or iMovie, or if you're uploading on an Android device you can use the preinstalled Movie Maker. Learning to edit will also make it easier to make a channel banner, up next.

Get a channel banner. A channel banner is the long strip at the top of your channel's page, and it's quite boring with nothing there. If you learn to edit, you can also make a banner for your page. To edit this, you can use Gimp for free, or buy Photoshop. Having a channel banner really adds spice to your page, which you'll want so people will keep watching. On that note, also have an avatar.

Once you gather some subscribers and views, apply for a YouTube partnership. This allows you to earn money from your videos. Being a YouTube partner also helps your fanbase grow. As a YouTube partner, ads will be put in your video, and you get money each time a person views that ad.